U.S. patent number 4,540,611 [Application Number 06/561,042] was granted by the patent office on 1985-09-10 for fold-up insulated beverage container holder.
Invention is credited to Scott R. Henderson.
United States Patent |
4,540,611 |
Henderson |
September 10, 1985 |
Fold-up insulated beverage container holder
Abstract
A one piece beverage insulator in the form of a beverage
container holder with an open top that is die cut from a sheet of
insulative foam either open cell or closed cell laminated with a
surface vinyl film. The one piece beverage insulator die cut
pattern is in the form of two mirror image side halves joined by a
center bottom shaped to conform to the bottom of a beverage
container to be held by the finished holder. The die cut holder
pattern is folded over on itself with the side halves aligned but
with the inside foam sides of the halves facing out and the side
edges are stitched or vinyl welded together after which the holder
is pulled inside out through its open top returning the vinyl
surface to the outside. This finished holder is stored in a
collapsed flat state to be opened when receiving a beverage can or
other beverage container to be held and insulated by the
holder.
Inventors: |
Henderson; Scott R. (Plano,
TX) |
Family
ID: |
24240416 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/561,042 |
Filed: |
December 13, 1983 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
428/12; 150/901;
220/739; 220/903; 428/36.5; D7/608 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
23/08 (20130101); B65D 81/3886 (20130101); Y10T
428/1376 (20150115); Y10S 150/901 (20130101); Y10S
220/903 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
81/38 (20060101); B65D 23/00 (20060101); B65D
23/08 (20060101); B65D 023/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;D7/70,77 ;215/100.5
;220/85H,412 ;229/1.5B ;150/52R ;62/530 ;248/346.1
;428/12,35,9 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Epstein; Henry F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kintzinger; Warren H.
Claims
I claim:
1. A fold-up insulative beverage container holder with an open top
comprising: a die cut sheet form of insulative material with, two
opposite side substantially rectangular halves, a center bottom
interconnecting said opposite side substantially rectangular halves
and with the center bottom shaped to conform to the bottom of a
cylindrical beverage container the holder is designed to hold; and
with edges of said opposite side substantially rectangular halves
fastened together by fastening means forming two generally
vertically extended seams joining said halves together forming the
utilitarian insulative holder with an open top for receiving
cylindrical beverage containers; wherein said die cut sheet of
insulative material is a one sided smooth plastic surface laminated
sheet of insulative foam with a smooth vinyl surface and with the
one sided smooth plastic surface of said die cut sheet form of
insulative material to the outside of said insulative beverage
container holder; and wherein said sheet form of insulative
material and said vinyl laminated surface in the finished holder
present a soft pliable holder collapse foldable to a flat storage
state from which it is readily reopenable time-after-time for
repeated cycles of storage, like in a pocket, and use reopened as
an insulative beverage container holder.
2. The fold-up insulative beverage container holder of claim 1,
wherein said foam faces the inside of said holder and said smooth
outer plastic surface is a media for printing.
3. The fold-up insulative beverage container holder of claim 1,
wherein said seams have edges extending to the interior of said
finished insulative beverage container holder.
4. The fold-up insulative beverage container holder of claim 3,
wherein said seams are stitched seams.
5. The fold-up insulative beverage container holder of claim 3,
wherein said seams are heat seal welded seams.
6. The fold-up insulative beverage container holder of claim 1,
wherein said center bottom interconnecting said opposite side
substantially rectangular halves has two arcuate opposite side
edges connected with fillets to the bottom edges of said
substantially rectangular halves.
7. The fold-up insulative beverage container holder of claim 6,
wherein said center bottom is so sized that line projections of the
bottom ends of opposite sides are close to tangency with a circle
projection of said arcuate opposite side edges of the center bottom
of the insulative holder.
8. A fold-up insulative beverage container holder comprising: a
sheet form of vinyl surface laminated insulative foam material
with, two opposite side substantially rectangular halves, a center
bottom interconnecting said opposite side substantially rectangular
halves and with the center bottom shaped to conform to the bottom
of a beverage container the holder is designed to hold; and with
edges of said opposite side substantially rectangular halves
fastened together by fastening means forming two seams joining said
halves together forming the utilitarian insulative holder with an
open top for receiving cylindrical beverage containers; and wherein
said sheet form of insulative material and said vinyl laminated
surface in the finished holder present a soft pliable holder
collapse foldable to a flat storage state from which it is readily
reopenable time-after-time for repeated cycles of storage, like in
a pocket, and use reopened as an insulative beverage container
holder; said center bottom interconnecting said opposite side
substantially rectangular halves has two actuate opposite side
edges connected with fillets to the bottom edges of said
substantially rectangular halves; said center bottom is so sized
that line projections of the bottom ends of opposite sides are
close to tangency with a circle projection of said arcuate opposite
side edges of the center bottom of the insulative holder; and
wherein opposite side openings between said acruate opposite side
edges of said center bottom and the bottom edges of said
substantially rectangular halves along with the open top facilitate
collapse folding and reopening of said holder through repeated
cycles of folding for storage and opening for beverage container
carrying use.
9. The fold-up insulative beverage container holder of claim 8,
wherein said opposite side openings are aligned with said seam to
facilitate said seams to be fold lines in the fold collapse and
opening of the insulative beverage container holder.
Description
This invention relates in general to beverage insulators, and more
particularly, to a fold-up insulated beverage container holder with
a built in bottom with the unit collapsible to a folded flat
state.
Beverage insulators come in many configurations and sizes made of
many different insulative materials and many are quite expensive.
Many such beverage insulators are made of relatively rigid
insulative materials in the form of cup like receptacles receiving
and holding beverage containers. Such beverage insulators such as
stiff foamed plastic obviously can not be collapse folded as this
would be destructive of the molded beverage insulator form. Wrap
around beverage insulators, while good and convenient for use in
many instances, require a fastening device such as Velcro in order
that the insulator be adaptable to some degree of different
diameter beverage containers and be reuseable time after time.
Further, wrap around beverage insulators must constantly be grasped
firmly on the beverage container, since, not having a bottom, a
beverage container can slip through and out the bottom not only
losing the drink but creating a spilled mess. The advertiser using
beverage insulators as an advertising media wants the insulators to
be liked by the user, as an adverse feeling with respect thereto
could reflect on the advertiser.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a
beverage insulator generally acceptable to the using public, easy
and convenient in use and foldable to a flat convenient store state
when not in use holding a beverage container.
Another object is to provide an efficient reuseable beverage
insulator that is economically produced and affordable to the
public.
A further object is to provide such a beverage insulator as an
excellent advertising media product.
Still another object is to make the holding of beverage containers,
hot or cold, more secure and safe without constantly having to
firmly grasp an insulator on the beverage container being held.
Features of the invention useful in accomplishing the above objects
include, in a fold-up insulated beverage container holder with a
built in bottom, a one piece beverage insulator open-topped holder
die cut from a sheet of insulative foam either open cell or closed
cell laminated with, on at least on side, a surface vinyl film. The
one piece beverage insulator die cut pattern is in the form of two
mirror image side halves joined by a center bottom shaped to
conform to the bottom of a beverage container being held by the
finished holder. The die cut holder pattern is folded over on
itself with the side halves aligned but with the inside foam sides
of the halves facing out and the side edges are stitched or vinyl
welded together after which the holder is pulled inside out through
its open top returning the vinyl surface to the outside. This
finished holder is storable in a collapsed flat state to be opened
when receiving a beverage can or other beverage container to be
held and insulated by the holder.
A specific embodiment representing what is presently regarded as
the best mode of carrying out the invention is illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 represents a top perspective view of the improved insulated
open topped beverage container holder;
FIG. 2, a bottom perspective view thereof;
FIG. 3, a side elevation of the holder showing joined edges and the
bottom from the edge;
FIG. 4, a side elevation of the holder from one side;
FIG. 5, a top plan view of the holder;
FIG. 6, a bottom plan view of the holder;
FIG. 7, a perspective view of the flat die cut sheet form of one
side vinyl laminated insulative foam;
FIG. 8, a partial cut away and sectioned view of the die cut sheet
form of insulative foam taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7 showing
lamination detail;
FIG. 9, a construction detail perspective view of the holder form
folded over inside out with the two sides thereof internally edge
stitched together; and
FIG. 10, the insulative holder in the flat storage state turned
outside right from the inside out state of FIG. 9.
Referring to the drawings:
The fold-up insulator 20 for holding beverage containers 21 is
shown in the container 21 holding state in FIGS. 1-6. The holder 20
is made from a sheet 22 of insulative foam 23 (closed cell or open
cell) with a smooth laminated outer surface vinyl 24. The holder 20
is formed from the sheet 22 with two opposite sides 25 joined
together by side edge seams 26. The opposite sides 25 are also
interconnected by a bottom 27 that bridges the bottoms of the sides
25 and, as shown in FIG. 7, the die cut form sheet 22 bottom 27 has
opposite side edges 28 that are blended into the bottom ends 29 of
opposite sides 25 by radiused fillets 30. Detail of the one sided
vinyl 24 laminated insulative foam 23 sheet 22 is shown in the cut
away and sectioned view of FIG. 8.
The opposite side 25 edge seams 26 are stitched with the foam sheet
22 folded over inside out as shown in FIG. 9 and the opposite sides
25 aligned. This provides two excellent vertically oriented seams
26 joining the edges of the opposite sides 25. It should be noted
that heat seal welding is useable in place of stitching for
producing the seams 26. In any event after the seams 26 are
completed the holder 20 is pull turned outside right to the state
of FIG. 10 with the smooth outer vinyl 24 laminate surface to the
outside as is also the product state in FIGS. 1-6 opposite from the
inside out state in FIG. 9 with the foam side of the halves facing
out. The smooth outer vinyl 24 laminate surface is an excellent
media for advertising.
Referring again to the die cut form sheet 22 as shown in FIG. 7 it
is of interest the opposite side edges 28 between fillets 30 are
arcuate and the circle projection 28' thereof if not tangent to the
line projections 29' of the bottom ends 29 of opposite sides 25 is
close to tangency therewith in order that the center bottom be
shaped to conform to the circular bottom of a beverage container
open topped holder 20 is designed to hold.
Whereas this invention has been described with respect to one
embodiment thereof, it should be realized that various changes may
be made without departing from the essential contributions to the
art made by the teachings hereof.
* * * * *